Fortinet FortiGate 51E FortiCare Premium Support, 1-Year (FC-10-0051E-247-02-12)

A lot of FortiGate 51E units are still in service at small offices and secondary sites where the hardware is doing its job and a replacement project has not been scheduled. As long as the device is deployed, keeping it on active FortiCare means Fortinet will still handle a support case and replace a failed unit. FC-10-0051E-247-02-12 is one year of FortiCare Premium for a single FG-51E: telephone TAC access, 1-hour response on critical issues, and advanced replacement shipping. License only, no hardware, electronic delivery to any country.

What FortiCare Premium covers

FortiCare Premium on the FG-51E covers: firmware and security patch entitlement for the registered unit, telephone access to Fortinet TAC during incidents, a 1-hour response commitment on Priority 1 issues, and advanced hardware replacement if the unit fails. Advanced replacement means Fortinet ships a replacement before you return the defective one — faster than the return-and-wait process on Essential. The device is also eligible for the Priority RMA add-on for dispatch upgrade if needed.

FortiCare tiers at a glance

FortiCare is available in three levels. This contract is Premium. The table compares the tiers so you can decide whether Premium is warranted for this deployment, or whether Essential covers it.

Who still buys FortiCare for the 51E

Small offices and remote sites where the FG-51E is the sole firewall and a replacement timeline is uncertain are the most common buyers. A secondary-site device running basic stateful inspection with no active FortiGuard subscriptions can still fail, and a ship-first replacement from Fortinet limits the downtime window. FortiCare Premium also keeps the unit firmware-entitled, which matters for security patches even on a device past its bundled subscription coverage. If the site is truly non-critical, FortiCare Essential covers the basics at a lower cost; Premium is the right call when someone needs to reach TAC by phone.

Activation and delivery

Delivery is electronic, normally within 0 to 1 business days, to any country. Register the contract number against the FG-51E serial in the FortiCare portal at support.fortinet.com. Coverage starts on registration. Nothing ships physically and there is nothing to install on the unit.

FortiCare Premium vs a UTP bundle — or time to upgrade

If the FG-51E is running without active FortiGuard subscriptions, FortiCare Premium (this contract) is the straightforward way to maintain hardware support and firmware entitlement. A UTP bundle (FC-10-0051E-950-02-12) adds the FortiGuard security services — IPS, antivirus, web filtering, and application control — on top of FortiCare Premium coverage; that is the option if the device needs active threat protection services. For sites considering a hardware refresh, note that current-generation FortiGate G-series and F-series platforms offer significantly more performance and a newer security engine. DataCenter360.ca can help with upgrade planning if that is on the table.

Buying from DataCenter360.ca

DataCenter360.ca issues genuine Fortinet FortiCare contracts electronically as an authorized Fortinet Select Partner. Contracts for legacy hardware like the FG-51E are handled the same as current-generation — have your 51E serial ready and our team confirms the registration completes cleanly.